NEW YEAR 2025 NEWSLETTER: Hello to 2025. Goodbye to the ones that got away….

Over the decades, the RetroTours fleet has been evolving. Bikes reach scary high mileage or prove to be too fragile or expensive to keep operational. Or something fresh finds me—I don’t really look for bike anymore—and since my garage space is finite, I need to move something out. Frequently, a rider joins a tour, becomes enamored with a particular fleet bike and asks to buy it. I feel that my asking price is generally realistic: these bikes are not by any means museum pieces. They have dents, scratches and sometime warts that were installed at the factory. Over the years, I have sold many bikes and sometimes I wish I still had them all. New bikes get added to keep the fleet at 25 +/- and these additions generate off season resurrection work to get them into sound mechanical shape as well as fresh interest. As our clientele age, early 70’s big twins with no electric starting become less appealing. Hence, the addition of several 3 and 4 cylinder bikes, mostly Japanese, and just now edging into the 1980’s.

Something is gained but something is lost. These newer, largely Japanese bikes are more reliable than old Eurotrash and much easier to keep in good shape but maybe, just maybe, some-- je ne sais quoi—indefinable bit of character gets lost. And yet, should we avoid reliable, oil tight bikes? Do puddles on the floor and broken mechanical bits really add to the allure of motorcycling? Perhaps, but pushing the electric boot button and heading out with mechanical confidence is not all bad. There is a song that may relate to the evolution of the RetroTours fleet: “I sit there staring and there's nothing else to do (except ride) …

I'm turning Japanese
I think I'm turning Japanese
I really think so”

In any case, I fondly remember thousands of miles and scores of smiles on these mostly non-Japanese bikes that have gone away:

1978 Bultaco 250 Metralla GTS. What a little gem. A premix 2-stroke able to keep up with the big boys.
1977 Silk 700 Sabre MII. Like an Evinrude on steroids. Super sweet handling, but in need of further technical development.
1972 Yankee 500Z. Another crazy 2-stroke, perhaps the first true Dual Sport Adventure bike. A blast to ride around town, but never really suitable for longer trips.
1971 Rickman Royal Enfield. Brutish British vibration and torque. The lightweight, rigid Rickman chassis was an enlightening experience. A rolling ecological disaster. “Royal Oilfield”?
1977 Ducati 500 Desmo Sport. Oh, so Italian, but with its radical bent over riding position, only bearable for short rides. Complicated valve adjustment procedure. Sexy Italian looks. More fun to gawk at than to ride?
1971 Moto Guzzi Ambassador. “The Barcolounger”: super comfortable and a true classic riding experience. I got nervous after 90,000 miles and cut her loose.
1974 Red R90/6. Very Teutonic, very reliable, but with an unfortunate tendency to wobble. Once the mileage hit  75,000, I bid farewell.
1974 Black R90/6. A suitable replacement for the above. Everything a /6 should be.
1975 Ducati 860. Fabulous touring bike over 20+ years. Too tall, too long, and too difficult to kick start for most riders. Left side kick start only. Sold to a local Italophile.

1972 Laverda 750SF. A really fun bike, but oh so (top) heavy and with a gear box that belonged in a tractor. Once the mileage got past 50,000 I sold it to a RetroTours rider who loved it and still does.
1974 Kawasaki 650 W3. A cool and rare old bike. I would still own it, but s stranger who saw it on-line contacted me and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
1976 Honda CB500T. A friend in upstate NY thought I would like it and bought it for me without asking, so I had to buy it. It was the most British Japanese bike I have ridden, save for a GB500. We developed the 500T over the years then sold to a rider who saw it on the website.

Recent additions include:
1972 BMW R60/5. Just slightly less power than the bigger twins, but even more character, and smoother to boot. Short frame, “toaster” tank, and surprisingly effective drum brakes. A true classic.
1976 Honda CB550. Again, not the most powerful early 4 cylinder engine, but a really well balanced package that offers superb handling and is a delight to ride. Obviously, since it’s a Honda.
1976 CB400F. This could be the bike that started the sport bike movement. Able to punch way above its weight. Five figure red-line and very sexy header pipes. It loves to be ridden hard.
1988 CBR600F. An early sport bike that maintains comfort and practicality. A super pleasant ride that will surely delight RetroTours riders in the coming year. Regarding the CBR, I swear I was not looking. The original owner found me through the internet and told me the bike had been sitting for decades at the Jersey shore. The salt air took its toll, and we spent +/- $2000 to resurrect the machine. This included extensive fuel system work, a battery, fork seals, tires,
brake work, and lots of sanding and re-painting rusty parts. Was it worth the expense? Well, the owner said I could pay “what I want, whenever I want”: an offer that’s tough to walk away from. The result is a very fun bike that is comfortable enough for RetroTours, and I hope to share it with riders in 2025. It is still somewhat up in the air though, as the original owner may decide to pay for the repairs and keep the bike. I hope he lets it go. We shall see.

So, January is nearly done, the mercury hovers in the single digits, and a few deposits have already come in for the scheduled rides of 2025. We are busy doing “deferred maintenance” on fleet bikes as well as resurrections for paying customers. Daytona Bike Week, the unofficial start of the riding season, is just 6 weeks away and it is time to start planning. You don’t need to fly overseas and spend a fortune on a motorcycle adventure. RetroTours can offer you a ride you will not forget: the chance to experience several classic motorcycles and to “ride a piece of the past on the path less taken”.

I will make it easy for you. Let’s talk. None of us is getting any younger, so don’t wait until it’s too late.

PS: Check out the upcoming ride reports from 2024 which will be posted at www.retrotours.com in the
weeks to come.